The Mad Scientist
by forgetpoundgivemekoenig
Summary: Kendall, James, and Carlos take a much needed break from their band, Big Time Rush, and go on a road trip around California. Of course, on the first day they get lost, their car breaks down, and they meet a mad scientist and his soon to be mad scientist son. ((Kogan))
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**The thought of a 'mad scientist' Logan is freaking adorable.**

**I don't own BTR or the characters.**

* * *

"Are we lost?"

It's been seven hours since James Diamond, Kendall Knight, and Carlos Garcia set off on a road trip around California, and only now has anyone bothered to speak up about the lack of destination reaching. According to Kendall's calculations, they should have been in Fresno by now, but James is still driving down deserted road after deserted road. It worries Kendall, because he can see how totally okay with being lost James is, even though being lost on a deserted road with darkness falling is just a little unsettling. It's not that Kendall's afraid, just that there's no way he's sleeping in a car.

"No." James answers defensively and Carlos reaches around the seat to put a reassuring hand on Kendall's shoulder.

"Relax, Ken."

"Relax?" Kendall glares at Carlos in the rearview mirror, "We should be there by now."

"We're running a little late. It's just because Carlos has to pee all the damn time." James defends his driving skills with ease and Carlos looks offended. Kendall throws up a hand to stop the from arguing and pops open the glove compartment, digging around for a map and coming up empty handed. All he can find is James' hair products, which hadn't been there a few days before.

"James where's the map?"

"I took it out to make room for my stuff." James answers indifferently, "Just use your phone."

"I can't get a Wi-Fi signal!" Kendall presses the buttons on his phone uselessly, "Or a regular signal." James leans over to look at his phone, swerving into the next lane as he does, "Look out, James!" Kendall yells as the car jerks back into the proper lane and James rolls his eyes dramatically.

"No one's coming."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Kendall asks, peering out the windshield at the darkening sky. There are a few clouds, dark looking clouds, rolling over the treetops, "It looks like rain."

"We're in a car, Ken." Carlos teases, "Water can't hurt us."

"Speak for yourself," James comments bitterly, "It'll ruin my hair for sure." The car swerves again as he inspects his precious hair in the mirror and Kendall yelps, throwing a hand out towards the wheel as if he can save them all from a crash. Carlos laughs as the car straightens again and Kendall pulls his hand back, glaring at James.

"We need to be careful. I promised Mom we wouldn't die on this trip."

"And we _won't_, Kenny Dear." James leans back in the seat and eyes the rain clouds grumpily, "We'll be fine."

"Yeah, Ken." Carlos jumps in, "We're eighteen now! Legal adults! We can do anything!" After three months of waiting, Carlos is finally eighteen alongside his two friends, and he never misses an opportunity to mention it. Kendall still thinks they made some sort of mistake, since Carlos has yet to start acting _twelve, _much less eighteen. Still, it's one of the reasons he loves Carlos so much. If Carlos were responsible and paranoid, then he wouldn't be any fun.

"Whatever." Kendall mutters and settles back in his seat, "We still should have been there by now."

"Would you like to drive?" James snaps.

"Yes."

"Oh my God!" James complains, but obediently pulls over. He shifts the car into park and pulls out the key, tossing it on the dash between them with a scowl, "There you go, Mr. Driver."

"You didn't have to take the keys out, James." Kendall huffs, but smiles despite himself. He always feels better when _he's _the one driving, since James gets distracted and Carlos failed his test fourteen times. He would feel responsible if they crashed and James or Carlos got hurt, even if they were the ones driving. It's part of being the leader (of sorts) of their group. Lead singer of their band (Big Time Rush) and lead genius of all their pranks and schemes.

"Clearly." James replies sullen, folding his long legs into the passenger side, "Why do you have the goddamn seat up so far."

"To give Carlos room." Kendall shrugs and sticks the key in the ignition, turning it and frowning as the car only lets out a pitiful whine, "What the hell?"

"Try again." James advises, "This car is a piece of shit."

"Hey!" Carlos protests, "We bought this together!"

"And it's a piece of shit." James reiterates, "Try again, Kendall."

Kendall turns the key again and gets a softer whine in return, "Nothing." He jerks the key out and tosses it on the dash, throwing up his hands, "Absolutely _nothing_!"

"I guess we're sleeping in the car." Carlos states idly, "That'll suck."

"I am _not _sleeping in a car!" James sounds horrified at the idea, "We'll just have to walk to the nearest town."

"James it's dark! And-" Kendall winces at a low rumble of thunder and the sudden opening up of the clouds, "It's raining." James lets out a horrified yelp and disappears into the back with Carlos, moaning about his hair and how much he hates thunder. Carlos laughs at his friend, but soon whimpers at another clap of thunder, tumbling into James' arms as they huddle together. Kendall sighs at the antics of his friends and peers out at the sheeting rain.

"What are we going to do?" James' voice, ghostly in the pounding of the rain, issues from the back, "I mean, we can't stay here all night."

"What do you suggest?" Kendall demands, turning away from the rain to stare at his clinging and desperate friends, "We can't walk through this."

"Why not?" Carlos asks, "We have a flashlight."

"We'll get soaked!" Kendall reminds him, gesturing to the windows and the pouring rain, "We didn't bring rain coats or anything."

"I'm not staying in the car all night." James whines, "This road freaks me out."

"It freaks you out?"

"Yeah, it's deserted. What if there are rapists and murderers out there?" James shudders at the thought and presses closer to Carlos, "I do not want to be raped, murdered, or both."

"Both?" Carlos whispers, completely terrified, and Kendall gives James his best "Look what you started" face.

"No one is going to rape or kill or maim us." Kendall reassures the shorter boy, noting James' scoff as he does. He doesn't give the pretty boy a chance to complain though, because he knows how bad James can be and, honestly, he doesn't want to have to deal with it, "Just go to sleep." He instructs and jumps at a particularly loud bit of thunder.

"I can't!" Carlos complains as Kendall scrambles into the back with his friends, "It's too scary out here!"

"But, 'Litos, we're legal adults now." Kendall says desperately, "We can do anything."

"I lied." Carlos responds instantly, "We can't do this." James nods eagerly beside him and Kendall smacks him on the back of the head, getting Carlos in the process, which starts an all out war. They roll and tumble around the back, yelling and pinching and slapping to the best of their ability in the confined space. Kendall is on top of James, pinning his hands above his head, when there's a knock at the window. Instantly, all three boys are screaming and flailing and falling. Kendall ends up on the bottom of a pile of limbs and torsos and everything else imaginable with a sneaker that has to belong to Carlos in his face.

"What are you?" James yells, fear making his voice crack, and a shadowy figure moves from the driver's side window to the passenger side window. A face presses against the glass and Kendall's heart stops as something, or someone, looks in at them. He's expecting some sort of creepy, monster voice, but instead he hears someone _laugh_. There is a man _laughing _outside their car.

"Hello?" He calls tentatively and the figure disappears.

"Oh my God." James whispers, "What was that?"

"It was a 'who' not a 'what'." Kendall corrects, shoving Carlos' foot out of his face, "And he was laughing at us."

"It was _laughing_?" Carlos demands, pushing himself off of Kendall with a well aimed blow to Kendall's kidney. Kendall lets out a strangled "oof" and allows James to help him up.

"_He _was laughing, Carlos." He snaps, "It was a man."

"Rapist!" James cries and promptly falls back on the floor, "I'm too young to die!"

"I thought he was a rapist?" Carlos eyes the pretty boy angrily, "Which is it?"

"It's Ted Bundy!" James continues his rant, "And he's going to rape and kill us all!" It comes out shrill and frightened and Kendall knows they've reached their breaking point. If James goes insane, Carlos will soon follow, and then there's no _way _they'll make it to Fresno. Thinking quickly he grabs James by the front of his shirt and heaves him onto the seat, pointing at the doors.

"Look!"

"What?" James stares at the doors, "Is he back!?"

"They're locked!" Kendall points out, "No one and no _thing _can get us."

"People break into cars all the time." Carlos whimpers, "My dad sees that all the time."

"We'll hear them." Kendall sighs, "And we'll do something about it."

"And what if we don't?" James demands, "What if they're magic or something?"

"Then we'll die like me." Kendall states simply, "And we'll be a lesson for other people."

"What lesson?"

"Fresno is _not _seven hours away from LA."

"I'm not going to be able to sleep." Carlos sighs, "And I really want to sleep."

"Maybe we should take turns playing look out?" James suggests, "We can do three hour shifts."

"That sounds good." Kendall agrees, "Who goes first?"

"Not it!" James and Carlos high five as they get the words out at the same time and leave Kendall to take first watch. He rolls his eyes as they curl up in the seat, James eventually falling into the floor and smiling in his sleep. It's nearing midnight and Kendall can feel the exhaustion pulling at his eyelids as he desperately tries to stay awake. The storm evens out and the rain lightens up, becoming a peaceful thrum on the hood of the car. Carlos snores in his sleep and Kendall begins to forget the laughing man and the rapists and murderers of James' imagination. Instead, he thinks about LA and Big Time Rush and how fun this road trip was supposed to be.

When he drops off to sleep, he doesn't give a second thought to anything happening.

And when he's asleep, he's powerless to stop anything that does.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

**And so here's an update.**

"Where are we?"

Kendall moans as the words split his already aching head in two. The voice belongs to James, he can tell that much, and it's coming from right beside him. He forces his eyes open and looks around, pulling at his hands which are bound with something like rope or some kind of cable behind him. James is to his left, Carlos to his right, and they're all sitting on a stone floor. If he cranes his head he can see tables and beakers, things that you would find in a movie about a mad scientist.

"Kendall?" Carlos groans, "What are we doing tied up?"

"I don't know." Kendall winces at how dry his mouth is, "How long have we been out?"

"Too long." Comes James' forced response, "Way too long."

"Where are we?" Carlos squirms and Kendall gets elbowed in the side, "What are we doing here?"

"Maybe it was the laughing guy." James suggests, "Kendall, weren't you the goddamn look out?" Kendall glares at James and James glares right back, clearly not impressed. Carlos mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like an agreement and Kendall uselessly tries to tug his wrists apart. He can't help the gnawing guilt that finds its way to his stomach because, no matter how hard he's going to fight James otherwise, it is kind of his fault that they're stuck.

"I doubt it was the laughing guy." Kendall argues, "I don't know why we're here, but he left. He was gone all night and someone else thought it might be fun to tie up a bunch of travelers." He winces at his pounding headache, "Why the hell does my head feel like it's about to explode?"

"Forget your head," James interrupts, "Who the hell thinks it's okay to tie up a bunch of travelers?"

"That would be me." A voice from the door has them all jumping and Carlos manages to elbow Kendall in the ribs _again_, though Kendall hardly notices due to the figure coming towards them. It's a man, handsome with brown hair and pale skin, wearing a lab coat. He smiles when he reaches them, holding out a hand before cockily pulling it back, "Oh, I forgot, you're a little incapacitated at the moment."

"Who are you?" Kendall demands.

"Well, that's not very important, now is it? I have you here with no way to contact anyone who might wish to help you, pardon me, but I believe my name is hardly a matter of importance to you."

"What do you want?" Kendall tries again and the man shrugs, folding his hands behind his back and tilting his head.

"I want what's best for my son."

"Your son?" James speaks up, "You have a son?"

"Yes, I have a son."

"Someone fucked _you_?" James looks disturbed and Carlos snickers, even though they were both freaking out before. Kendall doesn't know whether to laugh or apologize for James' comment. The man doesn't seem bothered by the comment, in fact his grin only broadens as he turns his attention to James.

"Yes, well, not everyone can have a face as pretty as yours." He frowns, "Although, you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Well," James smiles, "Maybe a little."

"You're arrogant." The man turns abruptly to Carlos, "And you're immature. Now, what does that make you?" He quirks a brow at Kendall who scowls.

"Stubborn."

"Cocky." The man corrects, "Very cocky."

"Is that a bad thing?" Kendall demands, "Isn't it good to be brave?"

"I never said you were brave. I said you were cocky." Kendall watches as the man paces in front of them, "But, much like my name, you're vices are of no matter." He smirks, "And neither are your attributes. You are not here for me to assess, you are here for my son."

"Son?" Carlos repeats, "Why does your son need us?"

"You're a birthday present." The man continuous, ignoring Carlos' question, "It's his eighteenth."

"Okay?" Kendall demands, "What is he going to do with us?"

"Whatever he wants."

"Oh my God, is he gay? Is he, like, ugly? Is this because no one will willingly have sex with him?" James babbles, "Because, seriously, you can find lots of good whores in Las Vegas. Take him to Las Vegas, lie about his age, and his virginity will be gone in no time."

"My son is not concerned with such trivial matters." The man snaps and James falls silent, looking a little offended at the interruption, "My son is a doctor, a scientist, and a student."

"At the same time?" Carlos wrinkles his nose at the thought, "We're singers." He adds and The Man rolls his eyes, which makes Carlos frown. Kendall nudges him and makes a face, which cheers Carlos up marginally, but does nothing to soothe James, who begins to rattle off every single accomplishment of his since the first grade.

"That doesn't impress me." James is caught off (again) by The Man who looks annoyed, "You're nothing and you're petty awards are nothing. Singers, though, that's new." He turns back to Carlos, "Are you a band, per chance?"

"Big Time Rush." Kendall intercedes, "And we do have people looking for us."

"I've heard of you." The Man snaps his fingers, "We had a few subjects who were going to find you. They were young, blonde, very stupid. They were wearing shirts with your faces on them, I remember."

"Subjects?" Kendall asks at the same time James says, "Did I look good?" The Man laughs at them both and shakes his head, like he can't believe they're so idiotic. Kendall isn't sure if the laugh is aimed more at him, or more at James, but it still makes his blood boil. James apparently shares the same anger, because he mutters something insulting under his breath. Kendall doesn't quite hear, but it sounds suspiciously like, "Go fuck yourself."

"Yes, subjects." Kendall finally gets an answer, "My son and I are scientists. We study what we, as a species, know and then we add to it through experimentation and research."

"Experimentation?"

"Yes, experimentation." The Man pauses, "And that's where you come in."

"What do you mean?" Kendall feels his heartbeat speed up at the words, "What are we here for?"

"Ever since he was little my son has been helping me with my own research, but it is time he started his own. I will no longer be allowing my son to assist me, because from now on he will be furthering his knowledge in areas he himself finds important. We have a unified goal, to better the medical field, but my son has always held certain things in a much higher regard than I do. He got that from his mother. She's gone now, but he's never stopped amazing me in just how alike they are."

"Could you get to the point?" James lashes out and The Man cocks his head, raising an eyebrow at the outburst. Kendall holds his breath as the silence stretches, though The Man doesn't look particularly interested. He's not smiling, but Kendall hopes that's only because he's remembering his wife, and not because he's debating the best way to strangle James.

"Very well." The Man finally answers and James looks surprised, "You're here for my son's education. I want him to grow and learn beyond what I've seen fit to teach him. As subjects, you will be required to do what he says without too much fuss, because my son is _very _generous. He finds human life more precious than I do but, if you give him any sort of trouble, it won't be him you deal with. You will call him Dr. Mitchell and you will _not _ask his first name. If you try to escape I _will _kill you and I will make sure it hurts more than anything you've felt in your lives." He smiles at this, "I _am _a doctor, after all."

"You can't do this!" Kendall breaks, "You can't! It's inhumane and sick!"

"I'm not doing anything." The Man reminds him, "My son is far more interested than your mind as a living being, not your body as a corpse, so you won't be dying any time soon." He speaks as if the fact that they won't be dying is any comfort and Kendall fights with his bonds, pulling desperately at his wrists. He can feel James and Carlos on either side of him, both trying to relieve themselves of their own bonds. The Man laughs and disappears around the tables, turning the light off and shutting the door with a snap. Instantly, James begins yelling swears and damnations at the door. Kendall leans his head back against the wall, closing his eyes at the hopelessness of it all. Carlos whimpers beside him and James just keeps yelling and yelling, making Kendall's headache even worse. He doesn't try to stop his friend though because, with what they've gotten into, he deserves a bit of shouting.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" James finishes his rant and his head joins Kendall's against the wall with a thud, "We're done for."

"No, we're not." Kendall tries to remain slightly positive, "His son isn't a complete monster."

"What?" James sounds horrified, "You actually believe him?"

"We're sitting here in the dark with our hands tied; I'd rather not try _not _believing him." Kendall defends himself, "You don't?"

"No." James answers angrily, "I believe his son is just as messed up as he is!"

"Maybe his mom was a good person." Carlos speaks up, "And she gave him something his dad couldn't."

"We don't know how long she's been gone, Carlos." James argues, "He could have been a _baby _when she left."

"Who says she left?"

"You think he killed her?"

"No," Kendall shakes his head, "Maybe she died of something else."

"No, she left the nut job, and I don't blame her." James huffs, "God, what the hell are we going to do?" It's hopeless and empty, like James has already given up, and Kendall begins to panic at the thought. He struggles to sit up fully, only managing to slump forward as he loses the support and subsequent balance that the wall was providing.

"James, we can't think like that." His voice is muffled by his knees when he speaks, "We have to think that someone will find us. I mean, Mom knew where we were going."

"Yeah, but we didn't get where we were going." James points out, "We got lost."

"Someone will find our car."

"If he didn't hide it." James laughs hollowly, "Ken, it's over. We're in a Human Centipede remake and there's nothing we can do about it."

"You watch too many horror movies." Kendall insults bitterly, falling silent at the realization that James is, unfortunately, right. There's no way they're getting out of this, "At least we have each other."

"Yeah." Carlos agrees quietly, "But don't let Dr. Mitchell hear you say that."

"Why not?" James snaps, "Why the hell not?"

"I don't know." Kendall can hear the fabric of Carlos' shirt drag across the wall as he shrugs, "I just think it's better we keep anything we like or don't like to ourselves. In case he decides to do something with it."

"Good point." Kendall praises absentmindedly, "From now on we say _nothing_ that might be used against us, agreed?"

"Agreed."

Kendall sighs and nestles his forehead against his knees, "Good."

And from then on, they can only wait.


End file.
